1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a terminal box for a solar battery module and a method for producing such a terminal box.
2. Description of the Related Art
A solar energy generation system supplies direct-current electricity from a solar battery panel on the roof of a building to electric equipment via an inverter or the like. The solar battery panel has solar battery modules, and electrodes of the solar battery modules are connected in series or in parallel via terminal boxes.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 3498945 discloses a known terminal box that has terminal plates juxtaposed in a box. Ends of the terminal plates at one side are connectable with positive and negative electrodes drawn out from the underside of the solar battery module. The other ends of the terminal plates are connectable with cables for external connection. Bypass diodes span between adjacent terminal plates. The bypass diode shorts an inverse current at the time of an inverse load from one cable for external connection to the other. The bypass diode has a chip-shaped diode functioning portion and two conductor pieces connected with the diode functioning portion while holding the diode functioning portion therebetween. The conductor pieces have contacts and the diode functioning portion is between overlapping portions of the contacts. The conductor pieces extend in opposite directions from the contacts, and have extending ends connected to the corresponding terminal plates. The contacts of the conductor pieces are supported from below by the bottom surface of the box or distanced therefrom between the adjacent terminal plates.
Heat generated by the diode functioning portion should be discharged toward the terminal plates via the respective conductor pieces. However, heat remains in the above-described diode functioning portion and the bypassing function of the diode functioning portion can be impaired.
The invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to improve heat discharging characteristics.